Target plus-size clothes replaced by clearance items, but not phased out

Target's plus-size women's clothing has been replaced by clearance merchandise in stores across the country -- including the greater Milwaukee area -- fueling concern among consumers that Target is phasing out its plus-size collection.

A steady stream of disappointed Target customers have been complaining about missing plus-size clothes on Target's Facebook page.

"Are plus sizes being removed from Target stores?" wrote Tammi Miller of Massachusetts on Target's Facebook page Monday. "I went to check out the racks this weekend, and found nothing but empty space, clearance racks with regular size clothes, and some lingerie."

At Target's West Allis store (depicted to the left), the plus-size section had also been replaced with clearance items when the Public Investigator checked Monday.

The Public Investigator asked a Target official what's going on. He explained that Target is clearing out its winter clothes and is still waiting for the plus-size spring items to arrive. But contrary to rumors, he said Target is not phasing out plus sizes.

"We absolutely are not exiting the plus-size business," Joshua Thomas, a spokesman for Target told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Rather, our new spring styles have been delayed. What’s happening now is, the current assortment is being marked down. For guests who cannot find what they’re looking for in our stores, we still have an assortment of plus sets available on target.com."

New and "more contemporary styles" will be arriving in stores yet this month, meaning next week or the week after, he said.

He declined to elaborate on why the new plus-size items are delayed.

Similar "coming soon" responses from Target's customer relations team have failed to satisfy some unhappy Target shoppers. They say they've been waiting for new items since Christmas and don't want to order online.

"The plus size section has been (gone) from Target for 2 months now," Target shopper Jen Doyle Kitchen of New Jersey wrote on Target's Facebook page. "They are apparently redesigning, but new clothes were due a month ago, and no one is willing to say when they're actually going to show up. All we hear is 'coming soon!' and 'shop online!' Yeah, right, because we want to pay shipping and not try on clothes."

Thomas said Target did let its employees know about the plus-size delay so they can keep customers informed. He said employees also put up signs in the plus-size section of stores to let guests know that new styles are coming soon. But he also acknowledged that this may not have been enough.

"We apologize for any confusion or frustration this might have caused," he said. "It does sound like there's been some confusion."

It's not the first time Target is facing criticism from its plus-size customers.